Devil's Eye

Chapter 18

5' 8"-5' 9"

"Hi," Noah said reluctantly after opening the door and looking at Scott, as if he was saying, 'What the hell are you doing here?'

"Hey..." his friend stuttered after noticing that Noah wasn't standing alone in front of him. Ethan was standing behind his back. For some reason, Thomson's presence felt like he was actually standing in front of Noah, not behind him. Even Noah felt it—the ultimate safety and intimidating impunity. It was eerie. But it felt nice. Now he could understand the meaning of the phrase 'as safe as a church'. If Thomson were a sculpture, he would have probably been made out of titanium.

"Ugh...Oh..." Scott moved back unintentionally, looking from Noah back to Ethan disconcertingly. Morgan could take a single guess and say what his friend was thinking about. If there was any other person besides Ethan, Noah would be mad. But the thought of Morgan possibly sleeping with Thomson made him happy, or even proud, for some reason.

Ethan eyed the unwanted guest from head to toe. Thomson looked like he was trying to count how many injuries he could give Scott and get away with it after. Noah pushed those thoughts away. Of course, Ethan wasn't counting anything because, apparently, he already knew where and how to punch in order to get away with it later in court. The most important thing was not to overdo it.

"Can...M-m... Can I talk to you?" Scott asked, shifting from foot to foot. He looked tired and anxious. Dark circles under his eyes were definitely showing that he had hardly had any sleep the night before, "In private, if it's possible," Scott added, and he licked his lips nervously.

Thomson looked at Noah, questioning him with his eyes.

"Sure," Morgan said drily, even though he wasn't entirely ready for a conversation with his friend. He was still emotional about their fight the day before. The wounds were so fresh, they could open up with a single wrong word, which could definitely buffet the abrasive relationship between Noah and Scott. However, Noah didn't want to keep the conflict unsolved, and he also couldn't let himself kick Scott out of his flat. If his friend came here to make it up with Noah, he should be listened to. Scott's request to talk in private seemed logical. He didn't want to involve other people in this conversation, either. How would Ethan react, though? He definitely wasn't the winner of a competition called 'The most tactful guy in the world.' Was it possible to ask Thomson politely to leave and not hurt his feelings?

"I'll wait in the car," Ethan said suddenly, carefully handing Noah his metallic pen.

"I won't need it," Morgan wanted to refuse, but Thomson made it clear that he wasn't going to leave until Noah accepted his gift.

"What is it for?" Scott sounded confused, since the pen looked just like a regular pen to him.

"For your testament," Ethan exhaled, leaving the flat and walking slowly across the hallway, "If Morgan doesn't come downstairs in twenty minutes, I'll come back," he said matter-of-factly. Scott felt so confused by this assuredness, he definitely wanted to snap back at Ethan, but he never did it. Yes, that's right. It wasn't important at the moment. After all, he didn't come here to fight with Thomson. He came to see Noah.

"May I come in?" Scott asked quietly. Morgan stepped aside in silence, welcoming him with the gesture, "Uhm...you and Thomson..." it was extremely inappropriate at the moment, but his friend was definitely dying of curiosity.

"No," Noah said sharply, "He just came over to support me after yesterday's post in the anonymous chat."

'And he spent the night here?' Scott's eyes were definitely asking this question. But he decided not to ask it out loud.